


Seeing Is Believing

by SueN



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 17:00:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18782401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SueN/pseuds/SueN
Summary: Written for a VinList Magnificent Monday Writing Challenge.Challenge theme: No turning back.





	Seeing Is Believing

 

Ezra paused his headlong flight down the dimly lit stairs, one hand resting on the wall as he drew in a ragged breath.

Listening intently, he was rewarded with the sound of muffled voices and footsteps moving more slowly than his own in the opposite direction.

He wanted nothing more than to reverse his course, to follow the sounds and attempt a rescue, no matter how futile that attempt might be.  

But he'd given his word. Not in so many words, but in a shared glance, an understanding of the situation.

_The situation._

Ezra felt the bile rise in his throat at the analytical phrase.

_The situation,_ he thought derisively was that only one of them had been in a condition to get away, to escape, to run.

A vision of Chris slammed into his mind, green eyes dimmed with pain, blood flowing from the bullet wound in his thigh, the wound that had made it impossible for him to run.

Dimmed or not, those green eyes had flashed a message, _an order,_  and Ezra had been unable to deny receiving it, loud and clear.

_"Go... get out of here..."_

He'd hesitated, of course, his own eyes arguing the point but he was no match for the logic of the situation and Chris knew it.

_"Go... now!"_

And so he'd left his friend and... gone, escaped, run.

Help was on the way. He knew that. Had known it the instant he gave the pre-arranged signal that told the rest of their team they were in trouble.

On cue, the power to the deserted building had been cut: main lights out; emergency lighting on; time to move. Textbook procedure.

The only problem was that the miscreants appeared to have had access to the textbook.

His cell, complete with state-of-the-art 'bug' and transmitter, had been lost at some point during the ensuing brief but fierce altercation and Ezra found himself with no way to communicate with the team.

No way to tell them that said miscreants were themselves on the move, heading to the roof and taking Chris with them.

He knew his friend would be slowing them down, both courtesy of the gunshot wound and his desire to give the team as much time to reach him as possible.

He also knew there was a fine line between Chris's value as a hostage, and the nuisance factor of dragging him along.  

Knowing above all that time was of the essence, he took another breath and set off again down the dimly lit stairs.

A missed step, a stumble, and Ezra grabbed at the handrail to keep himself from falling, hissing as his shoulder collided with the wall.

Tears of pain and frustration stung his eyes, and then he heard it. The welcome sound of a door crashing open, followed by booted feet on the stairs and instantly recognisable voices.

"Up here!" he cried, surprised by the volume and urgency of his own voice.

And then they were there, surrounding him, asking if he was alright, their concern easing his pain.

Someone tried to lower him to the ground but he flailed at them with his one good arm.

"Chris," he gasped, "they're taking him to the roof."

"Stay here," Vin ordered, noting the familiarly awkward angle of Ezra's left shoulder. A reassuring squeeze to his good shoulder, and they were gone.

Apart from Nathan, of course, who reached out a large hand to steady him.

"I'm fine. Chris needs you." It was more of a snap than he'd intended but if ever a situation warranted brevity, then surely this was it.

"You're not fine," Nathan argued but started up the stairs anyway, calling back over his shoulder, "Sit down and stay there."

Afraid that if he sat down, he wouldn't get up again, Ezra settled for bracing himself against the wall, and closed his eyes. 

Sounds were echoing all around him now. Shouts of _"ATF, freeze!"_ followed by a short burst of gunfire came from above him; sirens wailed outside, doors banging, and more footsteps on the stairs below him; and above it all, the unmistakeable _chunk-chunk-chunk_ of a helicopter approaching the building.

Ezra filtered out everything but the sounds of his team, waiting, _needing,_ to hear the all important all-clear. And then came Buck's bellow, Lord bless the man, _"It's okay, Ez... we got him!"_

 A wave of relief and exhaustion washed over him as two paramedics pounded up the stairs. Unable to find the energy to speak, Ezra simply waved them past and one of the men carried on up the stairs, the other pausing to regard him with an appraising eye.

"There's another ambulance on its way, just wait here and they'll take care of you."

More gunfire drifted down from the roof, and the helicopter was obviously dissuaded from landing, the _chunk-chunk-chunk_ fading as it veered off and slipped away.

_"Go... Stay here... Sit down... Just wait here..."_

Ezra had had his fill of taking orders. Pushing away from the wall, he started slowly up the stairs, his good shoulder maintaining contact with the wall to keep his balance.

Outside, the wail of another siren signalled the arrival of the second ambulance. Comfort, warmth and pain medication waited at the bottom of the stairs but he moved resolutely upward.

Turning back was not an option. He needed to see for himself that Chris was safe, and the Seven were whole.

 

~~~


End file.
